Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has admitted that the job is proving much more difficult than he had anticipated.

The Uruguayan saw his side defeated by Liverpool on Saturday afternoon to leave his side just one point above the Premier League relegation zone.

The defeat also means that the Black Cats have won just one home game all season, with that win coming three months ago against Stoke City. The manager has now admitted the job is proving harder than he first thought.

“For me, in particular, I am disappointed because by now I thought I would have a better impact on how the team plays, but unfortunately I was wrong. It has been more difficult than I thought,” he told The Northern Echo.

“Some players are taking longer to do the basics, and we need to keep working.”

The home side's chances of coming back from an early Lazar Markovic goal were severely hampered when midfielder Liam Bridcutt was sent off for a second bookable offence.

While Poyet has no issue with the red card shown to his midfielder, he did think that Reds midfielder Phillipe Coutinho should also have been dismissed.

The Brazilian was booked for blocking a quick free kick but was not shown a second yellow when committing a similar offence in the second half, leaving Poyet slightly aggrieved with the situation.

Sean Lunt

Sean Lunt is a Journalism and Spanish graduate with a passion for football. As an avid Everton fan he has survived the Walter Smith era, enjoyed the resurgence under David Moyes and is now wholly embracing the Spanish revolution with Roberto Martinez. Away from Everton he follows the rest of the football league and has a particular interest in La Liga.